* Here’s a New Year’s resolution you can actually keep: to read more books this year. If you’re already an avid reader, try something out of your comfort zone. There are lots of terrific books in areas other than the fiction section. When next in a bookstore or the library (you still go to bookstores and the library, don’t you?), consider wandering over to the history, travel or cooking sections and leaf through a few titles that catch your eye.
If that’s not your thing, consider checking some of the free online tools designed to help readers find recommended reads. To get you started:
Goodreads.com is a terrific resource. Though they’ve got plenty of topical content, like author interviews, trivia and book swap events, it’s their lists that’ll get you hooked. Using input from thousands of members, GoodReads offers recommendations for just about every imaginable topic. It’s free, but you need to become a member to access their content.
Shelfari is a sort of Facebook for books, enabling you to build a shelf of your favorite reads to share with friends. You can browse reviews, and when you begin to add content of your own, such as reviews, you’re likely to find books that’ll appeal to you. Also free.
Another rather obvious source is Amazon.com. You’re able to see what other items people bought with similar interests as well as the Amazon lists. List after list after list of favorites. The key to navigating Amazon’s recommendation lists is patience and persistence. Some are literally just lists, but others offer insightful commentary on the featured product and help point you in the right direction when you’re stymied.
* It’s all well and good when Batman’s blowing up all of downtown Gotham in an effort to apprehend the Joker, but who’s responsible for the repairs? Does Batman need to have a license for all those cool weapons? All these and many more nitpicky questions are answered over at lawandthemultiverse.com, a blog dedicated to the legal ramifications of comic book mayhem, characters and powers written by two very serious lawyers.
Comments? Questions? Want more? Email us at booked@thereader.com.

posted at 07:30 pm on Thursday, December 30th, 2010

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